cations and tournaments. It’s a lot of stuff and to get there, obviously it means that you’re amazing and that you took all of those steps to get there which is really cool. AM: Can you tell us more about the Sloane Stephens Foundation? SS: Sure, the Sloane Stephens Foundation is based in Compton, California and it’s in the school district. We have 23 schools that participate in the after school credit program and then we have a Saturday program as well. A lot of schools are taking out recess and I think that recess is really important. Being able to bring tennis to the community of Compton is really important and to show them what it’s about, how it’s fun and what the tools of tennis provides you and how you can use it as a vehicle to get you where you need to be whether it’s a high school team, a college team, a community college – whatever it might be. Maybe you want to get a job in tennis to work at a Tennis Journal or for Tennis Magazine, there is a lot of different things that you can do to work in tennis and so many different ways that you can branch out and I think that giving those kids the opportunity to seek more in life whether it be a job or a team – it’s given me a lot in life and I have used it as a means as a vehicle to get me to a lot of places in life and different things that I would have wanted to do. Without tennis, I would not have been able to do those things and I think that giving this opportunity back feels so good as it’s not just for me, it’s for the community. AM: We’re all about the importance of tribes and those that have influenced us whether personally or professionally as #TRIBEGOALS are essential. SS: Obviously my mom has been very supportive of me and my career My brothers have also been supportive and have cheered me on and encouraged me to do whatever it is that I have
wanted to do. My grandparents are very supportive. Everything I have wanted to do, they have encouraged me to try it out, have fun and if it doesn’t work out, I can always come home. To have that attitude in my life that I can go out and try things and if it works out great, if not, I can figure it out and do it again or go in another direction – it’s a great way for me to live my life and has been so cool. @SloaneStephens PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 74 Scott Draper | PG 77 Brecht Van’t Hof | PG 82 Zhukovsky |
You can hear Sloane Stephens' interview in May on our show, #TRIBEGOALS which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast
